The gradual transition from the Control Panel to the Settings app within Windows 11 has been a protracted journey, marked by incremental changes and a sense of lingering uncertainty. As Microsoft continues this migration process, the latest Insider Preview Build 27928 released to the Canary Channel reveals further shifts in this ongoing saga.
While the reasons behind the slow pace of this transition remain somewhat elusive, it appears that the migration of options from the Control Panel to the Settings app is not currently a top priority for Microsoft. This week’s update highlights the movement of additional time and language settings, underscoring the awkward division of settings between the two interfaces.
In the release notes for the latest build, Microsoft enthusiastically announces several updates:
- Users can now add additional clocks via Settings > Time & language > Date & time, in a section that can be expanded to display “Show time and date in the system tray.” These additional clocks will appear in the Notification Center and as tooltips when hovering over the taskbar clock.
While this feature may be seen as a notable enhancement, it is far from the only adjustment in this area. Microsoft also draws attention to the following changes:
- The option to change your time server is now accessible from Settings > Time & language > Date & time, under “Additional settings.”
- Date and time formatting settings have been relocated from Settings > Time & language > Language & region to Settings > Time & language > Date & time, allowing users to modify their AM/PM symbols along with other formatting options.
- Users can now adjust number and currency formats from Settings > Time & language > Language & region, specifically within the “Region” section.
- A new toggle for enabling Unicode UTF-8 for worldwide language support is available under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in the “Language” section.
- Current user language and region settings can now be copied to the welcome screen, system account, and new user accounts from Settings > Time & language > Language & region, under “Additional settings.”
The Control Panel lives on
Interestingly, this build also sheds light on some challenges within the Settings app itself. A fix has been implemented for a specific issue where the Settings app might crash when users attempt to add a security key under Settings > Account > Sign-in options.
Despite the ongoing transition, the Control Panel remains a fixture within Windows 11, albeit one that is slowly fading. Microsoft has not provided any clear timeline for when the migration to the Settings app will be completed, leaving users to speculate about the future of the Control Panel. Given Microsoft’s historical tendency to take its time with such transitions, it seems likely that the Control Panel will continue to coexist with the Settings app for the foreseeable future. As it stands, the Control Panel is not merely a relic of the past; it remains an active part of the present and may very well have a role in future iterations of Windows.
Image Credit: Simon Lehmann / Dreamstime.com
